Update: Fracking tank fire in Doddridge County

NEW MILTON, W.Va. – A fire at a natural gas drilling site in Doddridge County is under investigation after 8 workers were injured. It happened Sunday around 4 a.m. at an Antero Resources operation near New Milton.

BANCS Volunteer Fire Chief Randy Trent said he got the call that the VFD needed to assist emergency services with a burn patient but soon got word it was a lot worse.

“Just after we left our station, our dispatch came back and told us there was a well fire and numerous burn patients,” explained Trent.

In fact, the crew hadn’t even arrived on scene when they met up with some of the victims.

“As we were traveling towards the scene, on West Virginia Route 18, we met different private vehicles that had patients in them,” according to Trent. “We were able to get some of them transferred to ambulances.”

The crew then headed to the accident site. Trent says he and a worker from Antero were the first to inspect the scene. They found two fracking tanks on fire. They were more than 50-feet away from the actual drilling rig. Flames were shooting about 8-10 feet into the air.

The firefighters brought their equipment to the drill pad and were able to extinguish the flames.

“We were able to use foam and put the fire out,” said Trent.

Eight workers were injured in the fire. Five of them were flown to the West Penn Burn Center in Pittsburgh according to a spokesman from Antero. Three others were transported to local hospitals. No word yet on their conditions.

Trent said it was a difficult situation to handle.

“Anytime you’re dealing with the severely injured like we were [Sunday], it’s a very traumatic situation, if not a scary situation.”

OSHA has been called in to investigate. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection was also notified.

This was not the first fire at an Antero site here in West Virginia. Last year, a fire at an Antero drilling site in Harrison County injured three workers. The company was cited by the DEP.

Antero operates 15 drilling sites, in seven counties in West Virginia. The company is based out of Denver, CO.

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DODDRIDGE COUNTY, W.Va. – An investigation is underway into an explosion at a gas well site in Doddridge County early Sunday morning. Eight workers were injured. Four of them were transported to the West Penn Burn Center in Pittsburgh. There’s no word on their conditions at this time.

The blast happened about 4 a.m. at a well site off of Brushy Fork Road in New Milton owned by Antero Resources. The company operates 15 drilling rigs, in 7 counties, in North Central West Virginia. Antero is based out of Denver, CO.

Jennifer Smith

Jennifer Smith is a true gold and blue Mountaineer. She is a graduate of Fairmont Sr. High and West Virginia University’s Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism.

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Comments

Austin Green

Michael Cozzi....how many of the guys were in the burn unit with you?

August 7, 2013 at 3:13 pm |

EHS

When you have company men that makes threats about stopping an operation because it is unsafe, workers will get killed or injured. This is fact. Company men will put up a good front about safety. Behind the scenes, they will push until they can't push no more. It's all about making themselves look good for the drilling superintendent. Getting that extra bonus because the was able to finish the job earlier. Safety is secondary for a company man.

August 2, 2013 at 1:33 pm |

Ben There

When satellite porn is provided as entertainment on a frack site for the company man it tells a lot about the fracking company. Note satellite TV bills indicate pay for view! Hmm, so the company doing the Fracking is purchasing it.

August 13, 2013 at 8:13 pm |

Lula Mae Gray

Hello Jennifer,
My husband just received paperwork from Antero Resources Appalachian Corporation. Apparently he is heir to mineral rights that he wasn't aware of. They are making him an offer for a five year lease. We are reluctant to simply sign and return it. Do they need our signature to process? We live in Baltimore, MD.

July 23, 2013 at 2:52 pm |

RHytonen

LOL.

Refute the facts if your point has any merit.

Name calling -or, an ad hominem attack- is ALWAYS a confession you have lost the argument.

Thanks for playing.

July 9, 2013 at 9:46 am |

scott

the last time i was "slow paid" i found another job. if these individuals don't like the way theyre paid, they have the freedom to do the same.

July 9, 2013 at 9:42 am |

RHytonen

One of the developments that made the Matewan situation finally explode.

just sayin'

July 9, 2013 at 10:36 am |

Austin Green

Sounds like these employees need a good attorney. It's past time these companies take the safety of employees of others seriously!

July 8, 2013 at 2:45 pm |

WT Driver

Antero has too many irons in the fire

July 7, 2013 at 4:07 pm |

justme

complaining about the complainers.

July 7, 2013 at 3:41 pm |

bigd

There are people that are going to complain because there are no jobs out there and then complain because there are jobs. Todays society have become a society of complainers over anything and everything.

July 7, 2013 at 2:43 pm |

Protechcpa

Amen.

July 7, 2013 at 3:14 pm |

justme

Workers, Children and mother daughter hurt or killed by explosions and water trucks I have been run of the road multiple times by some type of gas well vehicle the road I drive too and from work is destroyed I know this business employs many people but something has to be done with the I can do what I want and get by with it attitude the noise,destroyed roads people being killed tearing up forest and farm land the state and local officials are doing nothing because of dollars being made

July 7, 2013 at 2:26 pm |

Stewart

Justme, FYI Antero, EQT, or whoever it may be always repave the roads that lead to their pads when they get bad.

July 8, 2013 at 2:35 pm |

RHytonen

They certainly haven't done that here.

And you have to remember he infrastructure UNDER the roads - That's a LOT more expensive, and a lot more catastrophic.

But they know it won't even be noticed or diagnosed until well after they leave (and there's NO more jobs, businesses,or tax base to fix it.) You will have no sewer service. But that's OK - you will have NO potable(or even non-carcinogenic) water.

You'd think The PEOPLE of West Virginia, of all states, with our history, would be able to predict the devastation of a boom/bust cycle and say NO.

July 9, 2013 at 10:43 am |

Randy

The natural gas industry is no where near as invasive or destructive as coal. The travel on the roads is a mere fraction of the coal trucks that run them and don't even start spouting out the lies about fracking. Unfortunately, accidents happen in every endeavor whether it be work or play. You people have a choice. You can have energy or you can go back to the dark ages. They have killed coal and next in line will be natural gas as its demonization has already began. Green energy will never fulfill our energy needs by much more than the small percentage it does now.

July 7, 2013 at 4:50 pm |

James McGuinness

Keep spouting the same rhetoric you have all been spouting whether it's coal or gas. You fools are blinded by the dollar signs. Maybe next time it will be one of your family. Just tell them that someone is making good money, and I'm sure they will be much happier.

July 9, 2013 at 3:09 pm |

RHytonen

Gas is more destructive AND invasive than coal.

The state is already littered with cancer ponds, and it's not even getting started yet. It's about the VOLUME and locations of fracking sites, and they're all around the state, not just in the south like coal.

Of course there's also the 20 MILLION gallons of water a week in the Marcellus alone (and more since the stat), rendered PERMANENTLY UNRECOVERABLE as potable. That will completely destroy the water suppy FOREVER - as well as sending the cancer rate through the ceiling. Of course that's "just" in fracking areas -like WV.

Other states are simply banning it. SO again we get to be the Sacrifice Zone because of the types defending its gross profits on forums (and "news"/corporate propaganda mills like this.)

And the only problem with green energy is deciding to demand it and NATIONALIZE energy to make the cost reasonable and stop feeding the speculators and exporters of dwindling resources.

It cost money to rearch and set up the other sources as well. We've been paying it, in SO many ways, from the loss of our vote in government, to our health, subsidies from OUR taxes (and most large energy corporations don't pay any) and the rapid deterioration of our environment, resources and infrastructure.

July 9, 2013 at 10:34 am |

wvrefugee

Well, this and the two innocent victims of the water truck collision in Ellenboro begs the questions if this is anywhere near worth it?????

July 7, 2013 at 2:20 pm |

Joe

Two died in a plane crash Saturday. 10 more in a crash in Alaska yesterday. Is plane travel worth it? If we stopped every industry because of accidents we would all live in a 3rd world country.

July 8, 2013 at 10:55 am |

RHytonen

And if we let energy companies export all our energy, poison all our water, putting its supply under their control, we will DIE in a 3rd word country, and in one as barren, desolate and industrial as Elizabeth, NJ.

Incidentally, due to the inequality statistics and the absolute control of industry/business over government, we already do live in a 3rd world Banana Republic, and according to Mussolini's definition, an officially Fascist one.

July 9, 2013 at 10:14 am |

Alan Summerville

Didnt mention 2 died according to my sources

July 7, 2013 at 2:12 pm |

RHytonen

A mother and daughter, motorists on (new) rt.50, were decapitated by a "water" truck entering the highway at high speed without stopping.

It happened about two weeks ago, in my town.

July 9, 2013 at 10:18 am |

RHytonen

Seriously?

What does it take for us to say
"NO!
STOP IT ALL - NOW! "
?
WV: Still ignoring the lesson of Matewan
after almost a century.

July 7, 2013 at 12:51 pm |

Rodney Hytonen

As for optionsm all your assumptions of me are completely wrong.
I'm unavoidably retired at 1/2 FPL, in an old fixer-upper house and a car that doesn't work for more than 3-5 miles. We could never afford to leave (a luxury you say you have, or had,) when Antero starts here in Pennsboro, (in defiance of a city ordinance,) even knowing it will be torturing and eventually killing us.

And that is exactly what you defend doing to us, and to many children and other health-vulnerable elderly, when you defend leasing.

November 23, 2013 at 8:50 pm |

Rodney Hytonen

I know all of those things and we agree on them.

What I don't understand is why you accept it, because if you stood up and fought together instead of blaming people for criticizing what you yourself criticize, you can stop it.

All that's necessary is to refuse being bribed to sell out your future and those of your neighbors and family. Rise up and fight these companies, together. It's being dome successfuilly elsewhere and there is LOTS of help available, The bribes they offer don't begin to pay for the permanent damage they leave -even if they came through with the promises - which they do not.

It is not debatable, that pumping that much permanent poison into the ground -amd even leaving enormous lakes of it around to leak and stink, killing (pretty much, all) people EVENTUALLY, years later- is a just plain bad idea. NOTHING justifies it, or the people who thought t up, do it, protect and defend them, or tolerate it.

November 23, 2013 at 8:40 pm |

Skeptic

What the hell does any of this have to do with Matewan?

July 7, 2013 at 1:05 pm |

RHytonen

Just this: Extraction industry companies in WV are all the same. Oil, Coal, gas, it doesn't matter.

It's about the absolute power to behave irresponsibly and even oppressively against the people and the land, because government backs them up, enforcing their irresponsible greed, instead of regulating, as is government's JOB.